The Toad's Boy
by DeathByShyKid
Summary: Jiraiya never left the village after the attack against Konoha by the Kyuubi. Despite his student and his student's wife being killed, Jiraiya stays for Hiruzen and his godson, Naruto. He told Minato and Kushina that he'd take care of their newborn should anything happen to them and he's not going to back away from that responsibility that easily. Includes Mount Myōboku.


**A/N – I've had this multi-chapter story planned for a while but I know that it's going to have slow updates. It's basically going to be a story that's posted for all to read but it's a 'when-I-get-around-to-it' story. Please bear with me and don't comment 'please update' because I've just said that I'll update it when I get around to it. So, without further ado, here's a chapter of this new story.**

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Nine days.

It had only been _nine_ days since the vicious attack rained down on the people of Konohagakure. For hours following the demise of the beast responsible for all this, flames kissed the sky in some demented dance of the heavens. The moon and its many stars could not shine by the heavy smoke that had filled the sky. Cries of pain and horror filled the ears of the many, drowning them in a pit of despair. Buildings crumbled under their own weight, any unfortunate soul underneath them having no way to get out. Bodies – all bloodied and bruised – littered the streets, sickening the weak stomached and tearing at the hearts of the warriors. They tried to save as many as they could, but they failed them.

Hiruzen failed them all.

And Danzō planned to take advantage of that failure.

"I request for Naruto to be placed under my guardianship." He spoke loudly, shoulders squared with a stern look in his eye that made some of the civilian council members tense up and avert their eyes quickly, "The Jinchuriki should not be allowed to waste away with all that untapped power."

Hiruzen rolled his eyes, give a bored glare at his old friend, "He is only a few weeks old, Danzō."

The dark-haired man glanced at the Third Hokage, "I've trained younger."

"Yes, in that ROOT organization of your's." He waved a dismissive hand towards the other, totally annoyed by the tone of this conversation already.

"Hiruzen, I don't think you're understanding what I'm trying to convey here." Danz, stated smoothly, trying not to raise his voice at the man who could completely dismiss his request. He turns to the rest of the council room, straightening his back and gazing at them all, "We shinobi know that by training young and getting the experience there helps us all in the long run; this is no different from that. The only exception would be that he would be mostly secluded from the outside world while training with my underground operations. As he gets older or if I have deemed him fit, I shall send the Jinchuriki out to complete missions." He got some nods of complete understanding. He hid his grin; he was getting to them.

This was almost too easy.

"We had an extremely robust, _adult_ Jinchuriki to back up our village with strong connections to the Fourth Hokage and while it is sad to see their passing, we have a new Jinchuriki to pick up the pieces." He explained, "News has probably already gotten out to the other villages about the death of our former Jinchuriki so Konoha could be considered weak to bordering nations. This weakness could lead to war, especially if Iwa had finally gotten word of this fiasco. If we show the other hidden villages that we are training a new soldier at the heart of this village then we can show the world why we are a force to be reckoned with."

This small speech got some people stirring, a conversation between each other buzzing here and there. The bandaged man could feel Hiruzen's eyes on him as he continued to speak with the council members. He turned to face the Third Hokage, eyes gleaming with age.

"I think we should allow Danzō-sama to teach the Kyuubi brat." A gruff voice from the end of the table spoke out, getting a few nods his direction.

"Yes, yes!" A perky voice called out, the woman bobbing her head in quick succession.

"I digress!" Someone shouted out, glaring at those who looked way too happy about this idea.

A shinobi fixed his glasses as he gave the leader of their village a calculating look, ignoring the shouting buffoon beside him, "Lord Third, I think this idea would be very beneficial to the village as the crime has started to slowly rise without the Fourth Hokage here to deter them."

"Indeed." Another spoke out, peeking out behind long lashes, "Despite your reinstatement as Hokage, this has not stopped criminals from making their claim on the streets."

"At least twelve people have been either injured or killed following the fox's attack from disorganized attacks." Another man from the civilian side called out.

The dark-skinned man beside him scoffed, "You call that as crime rates rising? As if! That's just regular numbers made in extreme situations."

A woman slammed her hand on the table in frustration, growling lowly at the man in front of her, "My daughter is in the hospital for Kami's sake, you insensitive twat! Something needs to be done about it and if sending the Kyuubi brat to train with Danzō-sama, then I am all for it, no matter how long it could take."

"It probably wouldn't even take a lot of time." An older woman spoke, clearing her throat, a calculating glaze covering her eyes, "Danzō-sama is very respected and feared in the village – for good reasons, too – and by him making the statement of being the one to train the newest Jinchuriki, it might strike fear into criminals, preventing them from attacking anyone."

"However, those are just what-ifs." A younger man rolled his eyes, arms crossed over his chest, "Having a strong Jinchuriki doesn't stop crime, police does. The Uchiha police force needs to be stronger with less prohibitions over them so that they can do their damn job."

The room started to flood with feedback – both good and bad, some countering other while the rest were just opinions of Danzō's statement – and it was starting to get loud in the conference room. Throughout the entirety of the civilian and shinobi council members' bickering, Hiruzen had opted to stay quiet, a calculating glare in his eyes. Danzō observed for a second or two before raising a hand in the air. The room silenced, eyes turning towards him. He stared his old friend in the eyes as he spoke, "While your statements are useful to the situation, I'd like to hear your opinion about my request, Hiruzen."

"No."

"No?" The man's dark eyes widened by the blunt answer, before they narrowed to a dangerous degree, "That type of answer won't do us any good. Why won't you place the Jinchuriki under my tutelage?!" The others who'd been for the idea shouted out their digressions.

Hiruzen simply held up a hand, silencing them almost instantaneously, "In order for you to be given Naruto, the boy's legal guardian would have to agree to the conditions you've requested of. I cannot simply hand off a child without their consent"

The bandaged collects himself quickly after the shock of the Hokage's blunt answer, glaring at the older man slightly, "Legal guardian? He doesn't have that." Those in the conference room place their attention onto him. "The boy's parents are _dead_ ; he's an orphan. We also have no documentation of any living relatives as Minato and Kushina were both orphaned as young children. And since he is the Jinchuriki of Konoha, you know as well as I do that we cannot allow anyone to adopt him should he be placed in the system." Danzō slid out of his chair, standing menacingly with his hands pressed against the table, "He does _not_ have a legal guardian; you're probably just spouting this off without any basis. That is, unless _you're_ the Jinchuriki's guardian?"

Hiruzen does not say anything for a few seconds as he pulls out a piece of paper. As he slides it towards the older man's direction, he let out a short chuckle, "No, Naruto is not under my custody. However, that does not mean that he is not in the care of someone else."

As Danzō reads the legal documentation, the door to the conference room opens with easy, a tall and toned man sauntered in with an easy smile on his face. The white-haired was a stark contrast to the ever-so-dark room. Civilian and shinobi alike give the Sannin a wide-eyed stare at his arrival. "Are you serious?" The ROOT leader groaned, hand rubbing his exposed temple as he glared under leveled eyelids.

Hiruzen grins at the confused – in Danzō's case, frustrated – stares coming his way, "Several months ago before Naruto's birth and while Minato and Kushina were alive, they appointed Jiraiya as their son's godfather should anything happen to them."

The councilmembers sat dumbfounded, neither knowing what to say nor do.

The Third Hokage started to smile, glancing at his former student; he's come so far, his mind calls out. He was almost certain that Jiraiya was going to leave the village after the attack against Konohagakure due to the grief of losing his prized student and Hokage. He didn't expect to continue seeing the Toad Sage in the village helping the town as they rebuilt and salvaged what they could after the attack. Hiruzen could only guess that the only thing really keeping the man here would be himself and his newly orphaned godson, Naruto.

" _I told you, old man, I promised those youngsters."_ Jiraiya had given his former teacher a smile then when they'd spoken to each other the previous day, _"I'm not going to back away from a responsibility that easily."_

The Sannin turns to Hiruzen, a nonchalant look in his eyes, "I'm going to be taking care of Naruto at Mount Myōboku; we'll be leaving later today."

The Sarutobi man nods slightly, "Alright, I'll see to getting his stuff ready for your departure. I bet the toads are excited to meet Minato's son."

"Oh, you have no idea! They were just yapping on and on about this or that. Shima couldn't stop fixing the home front there!" The two laughs about the elder toad's odd ways, practically ignoring the rest of the room.

The Third Hokage was about to respond when Danzō slams his hands on the table, "Enough!" Hiruzen gives his old friend an annoyed look. "Naruto is the Kyuubi no Kitsune Jinchuriki and, therefore, must stay in the village walls for his own protection!"

"Danzō, I'd prefer if you could compose yourself during the remainder of this meeting and refrain from pounding on _my_ table." The elder Sarutobi man sighed, rolling his eyes. The man in question glowered at Hiruzen before promptly seating himself and quieting down. Jiraiya gave him an amused look, standing behind his former teacher's chair with his arms crossed over his broad chest. "There is nothing you can say to change this; I made up my mind a while ago." The Third Hokage confirmed, glancing at some of the other councilmembers who looked like they were about to riot at the idea of Naruto in the care of his former student, "This was simply a statement, not a question nor opinion. Your thoughts behind this verdict are unnecessary."

"But what about the issue of villages' views on us?" A councilmember spoke out, voice gruff with worry.

"Since when have we cared about keeping up looks for the other hidden villages?" He rolled his eyes before standing up, "If that is all, this meeting is dismissed." Hiruzen turns towards his former student, giving him a small smile, "Shall we leave?"

"You don't have to tell me twice." Jiraiya's booming laughter fills the hallway as they exit the conference room, "Politics have never been my thing."

The Hokage chuckled, shaking his head slightly, "Yes, you never were the diplomatic one."

"Now, I didn't say that." The white-haired man grinned, "I'm practically a traveling politician."

Hiruzen scoffed, "Last time I checked, politicians never wrote books about the way a woman's panties looked on the floor."

Jiraiya let out a short laugh, "Ah, alright, then I guess I'm less of a politician and more of a writer."

"You're just realizing this now?" Playfulness showed in the older man's eyes, something that wasn't as prominent as he got older.

"Your words hurt me, _sensei_." Two could play at that game.

The Third Hokage of Konoha sighed out, letting the relaxed atmosphere lead them into a more enquiring conversation, "Are you sure that taking Naruto to Mount Myōboku is the right thing to do?"

"What do you mean?" Jiraiya questioned.

"The boy won't have the same luxuries there as he would have in Konoha. It would just be him, you, and the toads." Hiruzen stated.

"Like what?"

"Well, for one thing, there is only going to be one other human being – you – at Mount Myōboku. The only children there are going to be toads and the anatomy between humans and toads are _very_ different. There is going to be some cultural differences if he doesn't grow up in Konoha." He spoke slowly, the conflicts arising in his mind, "I'm just worried that he's going to be a little bit incompetent when speaking with other humans. He may even grow up to have a bit of social anxiety since he'll be used to you and the toads."

The Sannin thought for a second as they approached the Sarutobi estate, "I can understand that but I don't think Naruto's going to have any problems in the social department. I mean, just _look_ at his parents. I'll bet that he'll be a social butterfly."

"Well, that's a little reassuring." Hiruzen sighed out as the two finally arrive at the Sarutobi compound.

"Sarutobi-san." A man off to the side bowed politely, "Welcome back."

The Third Hokage nodded his head to the other member of his clan, "Where is Naruto?"

"He is resting in one of the guest bedrooms on the left side of the compound, ask one of the maids for specifics." He stated.

"Thank you." Hiruzen bowed his head slightly in appreciation, waving for his former student to follow him, "I do hope that you know what you're doing, Jiraiya."

"With Naruto?" He raised an eyebrow, "Of course, I do. At Mount Myōboku, the kid will be protected since only those with the toad summoning contract knows where it is. There also won't be the oppression from the village."

He sighed, "So you've already seen the resentment towards Naruto since the attack, huh?"

"It's hard to miss – your office was wrecked two days ago!" Jiraiya exclaimed in exasperation, "Makes me wonder what the villagers are capable of… I swore to Minato and Kushina that I'd protect their kid and I'll make sure to uphold it to the best of my ability."

Hiruzen smiled slightly, "I know you will."

"A-Ah, Sarutobi-san, you're home earlier!" A petite girl bowed her head, smiling at him, "How may I help you today?"

The older man smiled at the maid, "Is Naruto around?"

"Of course, he's just laid down for a nap and should be out for an hour or two." She said, moving towards one of the rooms on the left, opening the door for the two.

"That is all." Hiruzen said, watching as the maid left.

"Wow." Jiraiya breathed, looking over the side of the crib at the baby, "He's so _tiny_."

The Third Hokage stood beside his former student, "And he looks a lot like his father."

The white-haired man looked at Hiruzen with a shine in his eyes, "Is it alright if I hold him?"

"By all means." He gave the other man a soft smile, watching him reach out for the baby.

Jiraiya let out a laugh, curling the boy against his broad chest, "He's almost as big as my hand!" The two stayed quiet, simply watching the newborn's breathe-in and breathe-out motions. Naruto gave a soft gurgling noise, a chubby hand worming around Jiraiya's thumb.

"Be careful out there." Hiruzen stated slowly, eyes prying away from the adorable baby, gazing hopefully into his former student's eyes.

He grins, "Can't make any promises but I'll do my best." Jiraiya flies through a few hand signals, disappearing with a puff of smoke.

The Third Hokage stared at where the two had been, _"Don't let us down, Jiraiya."_


End file.
